


on your left

by allp_wips



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 11:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19272229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allp_wips/pseuds/allp_wips
Summary: Alex has a nemesis.





	1. Chapter 1

Alex makes a habit of running every morning.

 

Between hectic hours at the lab for the rest of the day, and weekends usually taken up by her sister, the hours before sunrise are usually the only time she gets to herself. Add to that a beautiful jogging route, where she gets to watch the sunrise over the mountains, and it's safe to say that her morning runs are Alex's favourite time of the day. 

 

That is, until the Nemesis moves into the same apartment building as her, and it turns out that she likes running, too. 

 

More drastically, the Nemesis likes running along the same route as Alex.

 

Ever since then, Alex's morning runs have had a singular point of annoyance. Everyday, she'll be running along, minding her own business, when there'll be a rush of wind beside her, and a voice loud enough to be heard over her headphones will taunt: "On your left."

 

Well, not today. Today, Alex times her jog until the woman is right behind her again, and that irritatingly confident voice starts to speak.

 

"On your le-"

 

Alex sticks her leg out, and the speaker goes down like a bag of bricks, tripping over it.

 

"Ow," her Nemesis gets back up, dusting herself off and rubbing her elbows. "What was that for?"

 

"That," Alex says, stalking towards her, hands on her hips. "Is for annoying me every day."

 

"Annoying you?" the woman looks genuinely surprised. "I wasn't trying to annoy you."

 

Alex stalls. Closeup, her Nemesis is ridiculously attractive. Until now, Alex has only seen the back of the woman as she passed her, catching a glimpse of thick brown hair curling up in the wind. Getting a look at her closeup now is... a lot. Alex resists the urge to stare.

 

"Why else do you taunt me every day?"

 

The woman's eyes crinkle, and the corner of her mouth crinkles up.

 

"How else is a woman supposed to start conversation with the intimidatingly attractive woman who happens to cross her path every day?'

 

Cocky retorts flee Alex's mouth, and the only thing that exits is a shaky "What?"

 

This woman, this gorgeous woman whose grey-green eyes remind Alex of summer leaves and the sea ... she thinks Alex is attractive, too?

 

"I think you heard me the first time," the woman says. "Can I ask you out for a cup of coffee, or will you trip me up for that again?"

 

"I-" Alex blanks for a moment, before mentally slapping herself.  _ You're an FBI special consultant. Get over it, Danvers.  _ "If  you promise not to pass me again, I might agree to that."

 

"No promises," the woman's eyes crinkle again, before she reaches into her jacket and pulls out a pen and piece of paper, on which she carefully scrawls some digits. "Here."

 

Alex blinks and takes the phone number, half afraid she's still in bed and dreaming. Beautiful goddesses don't give her their number after she trips them up like a five year old at the playground. Carefully, she stows the scrap away into her own jacket, before coming to a decision and looking back at the woman.

 

"Um... I don't feel up to continuing my run, and I don't have to be at the lab until ten... how about getting that coffee now?"

 

A slow smile is what she gets as acceptance, and Alex smiles back, completely enraptured. That is, until the woman turns, and takes off at a dead run towards the intersection where the nearest cafe is located. 

 

"Breakfast is on me, if you can catch up!"

 

Alex smile turns into a scowl, as she sets off after her Nemesis.

 

"You got a head start, cheater! No fair!"


	2. Chapter 2

After the coffee date, Alex doesn't see Astra again, until a few days later. On Tuesday evening, she's downstairs in the apartment gym, working out some anger issues with her newest research project on the treadmill. About half an hour into the workout, the machine next to her whirls to life, even though there are five other treadmills spaced out along the wall, all of them free.

 

Alex's first reaction is to be annoyed, until she catches the toss of curly white-streaked brown hair from the corner of her vision.

 

_Oh._

 

Alex feels herself warm beyond the normal heat of her workout. She doesn't dare to look properly to her side, not in the sweat-soaked state she's in right now, so she looks resolutely forward and keeps running, pushing the speed level up another notch.

 

The date at the café had been fine. It's just, Astra hadn't texted her after, not even to say if she liked it or not, and Alex isn't sure if she's the one who was supposed to text her, and it's all just become a jumbled mess in her head. She isn't exactly experienced at courting gorgeous women who listen to her ramble on about her genetic research during breakfast, with not only interest, but also apparent understanding.

 

A few minutes in, Alex finally chances a look to her side, only for Astra to immediately turn and meet her gaze. Astra raises her eyebrows at her, before thumbing her machine's speed up to one level above Alex's. Then, she goes back to looking out of the window as she runs.

 

Alex frowns. She can't be-

 

Still frowning, she presses up to the next speed level on her own machine, matching Astra's pace.

 

Two minutes later, Astra presses up the incline on her treadmill.

 

Alex feels herself start to really pour sweat, as she too increases her machine's incline, not to be outdone. _She has to be doing this on purpose._

 

Fifteen minutes, five levels of speed, and 3 incline levels later, Astra slips, as her shoelaces get caught up in the machine. She catches onto the handle, but not in time to slow her fall.

 

Alex spares one glance to make sure the woman isn't seriously hurt, before continuing on with her run, unable to stop the small smile curling around her lips.

 

"Why is it", comes the disgruntled mutter from the floor, "that I always seem to get injured when I approach you?"

 

Alex turns off her machine leisurely, and towels herself off, before she turns to the fallen figure.

 

"Need help?" she asks innocently, extending a hand down to the woman who's now sitting cross legged on the floor, looking a little put out.

 

"I give up," Astra says, ignoring the hand and pushing herself up. "Indoor machines are clearly not my area of expertise."

 

"I knew it!" Alex accuses her. "You _were_ competing with me!"

 

"Guilty but, once again, only to get your attention."

 

Alex shakes her head, heading towards the water fountain, as Astra does the same.

 

"You know, you can just ask me out again."

 

"Now, where's the fun in that?"

 

\---

 

They go their own ways after that, Alex back to the running machines, and Astra to the weights. Later in the evening, by the time Alex is done with her workout, Astra is nowhere to be found in the gym.

 

Alex tries not to feel disappointed, as she heads to the changing room. She's tucking her towel away into her bag, thinking moodily about the swathes of text she still needs to look over for her grant proposal later in the night, when the sound of another locker closing catches her ears. Alex looks up, to see Astra carefully laying down her own bag on another bench, before approaching her.

 

"I was waiting for you."

 

There's a curiously intense look in her eyes, which shine in the dim changing room like green stars. Maybe Alex should be intimidated, but Astra's approach is so leisurely and self-assured that the only thing she feels is anticipation.

 

"Hey," Alex whispers, when they're face to face.

 

A quick glance around to confirm that they're alone, and then Astra has Alex sandwiched between her body and a locker, pinned in by one elbow against either side of her head.

 

"Hello yourself."

 

When Alex finally kisses her, Astra smells headily of soap and light sweat, and Alex is really too gay to offer any sort of opposition to whatever she tries, even if she wants to. And she definitely doesn't want to, Alex thinks, cradling Astra's flushed cheeks between her unsteady arms as they part.

 

"I liked that," she says, licking her lips and leaning forward to press her mouth briefly against Astra's again. "I liked the date, too."

 

When they break apart for the second time, her fingers find the hem of Astra's tank top, and traces along the curve of the neckline, fascinated by the light sheen of sweat on soft skin. Astra makes a soft noise at that, which makes Alex kiss her again.

 

"Tea," Astra murmurs, against her mouth.

 

Alex leans back. "What?'

 

"Tea," Astra repeats haltingly, as if she's having trouble remembering words. She shakes her head. "In my apartment, if you'd like."

 

"Oh." Alex is the one who flushes, now. "Right. Um, yes."

 

Astra's eyes shine in that strange starlike way again, when she smiles, and then she's leading Alex by the hand out of the locker room.

 

This, Alex thinks, as she follows her, definitely beats proposal editing.


End file.
